Julie Harrison with Andy Copland and baby Maisie.
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Tributes to mother and girl shot dead in Aldershot
December 31, 2009
THIS is a picture taken of Andy Copland and his former partner Julie Harrison after the birth of their daughter Maisie Harrison-Copland.
On Tuesday this week, Copland shot the mother and daughter dead at his Church Hill home before turning the gun on himself.
A friend of the family said on Thursday that he would not have thought in a million years that Copland, known as Ghost, was capable of carrying out the attack.
Ms Harrison’s dad Reginald paid tribute to his “bubbly and happy-go-lucky” daughter.
Post mortems carried out on Copland and Miss Harrison-Copland have established both died from gunshot wounds.
A post mortem on Miss Harrison, who died on Wednesday morning in hospital, will take place on Thursday.
Innocent parties
"Julie and Maisie were innocent parties in this awful tragedy,” said Mr Harrison, from Camberley, in a statement.
"Julie was a happy go lucky, bubbly girl who was always laughing and joking and pulling my leg. Her very presence made us all feel good and we always looked forward to her visits.
“She was involved in charity work and loved animals, and recently played the role of Father Christmas for the children at play school.”
Mr Harrison added: “She was completely devoted to her daughter Maisie, our beautiful granddaughter. Maisie was a confident, happy, chatty, active, animated, bright young girl who brought joy to our lives.
“She loved playing with her dolls and loved animals and had just spent a fantastic Christmas with Julie and our family.
"Julie was a joy giver and Maisie was our sunshine.
"The loss of our beloved Julie and Maisie has devastated our family and close friends, and this is something we are having great difficulty in coming to terms with.
"On behalf of our family, I would like to thank the hospital, the police and everyone who has given us their support during this incredibly distressing time.
“If there is any good to come from this tragedy it is that Julie has given the gift of life to many others by donating her organs.
"We know there has been a significant amount of speculation in the media about this incident and we would ask the media to respect our wishes and leave us alone to grieve in private.”
Ghost
A friend of the Ms Harrison, who had known her for almost 20 years but asked not to be named, said she was very sociable and had always longed for a child.
He said after the mother split from Copland, who has a son and a daughter from a previous marriage, she became worried but she was not scared of him.
Before she gave birth to Maisie, Ms Harrison worked as a home help assistant.
“She was just a lovely girl and always out to have a good time. She wanted children for a long time and wanted to be a mother," her friend said.
“She was worried about splitting up from Andy. I think she wanted a social life but I do not think he was the same. Once they settled down he never came to the pub anymore.
“She was addicted to her daughter and Maisie always seemed like a happy child.”
He added Copland, who used to attend Aldershot Town games, was known as Ghost among regulars at the Thatched Cottage pub in Farnborough, where he used to drink.
He had mentioned to others in the pub that he had been in and out of work as the construction industry suffered heavily from the effects of the recession, and was having money problems.
“He would be the quietest guy in the pub. I would not have thought in a million years he was capable of what he did. I never got the impression he was one of those that was aggressively violent.”
Firearm
Detective Inspector Darren Rawlings said Copland had served a two-year jail sentence for crimes he committed 23 years ago.
“This was a tragic, yet unpredictable case, and our investigations have indicated that no-one else is involved,” said DI Rawlings.
“Our investigations are looking at how Mr Copland came to be in possession of a firearm and this information will also form part of the coroner’s enquiry.”
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